Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

U.N. Envoy Speaks of Nearing Solution in Yemen

Riyadh- U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that the Yemeni peace talks are anticipating a solution just right around the corner. Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper was able to procure information from political sources informed with the matter that international parties, along with some warring parties participating, are working on concluding an agreement which will put an end to the ongoing war in Yemen.

The work plan will be provided along with a timeline, including the implementation of U.N. resolution 2216, the return of the government to effective authority and the turn in of all armaments.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that discussions on Tuesday centered on “various military and security issues including withdrawals and troop movements”.

The sources withheld from mentioning further details and naming the international parties contributing to the progress of a political settlement in Yemen. However, they hinted that a solution is nearing at the Kuwait-held peace talks.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed had resorted to the help of a prominent Yemeni political figure in order to downsize and limit the difficult challenges facing unresolved arguments at the negotiations, sources added.

Developments are occurring in light of ongoing negotiations, battlefield escalations and fiery speeches laid by insurgent Houthi leaderships against the peace talks and peace-sponsoring countries in Yemen.

Not to mention that Houthi insurgents had repeatedly threatened to form a self-imposed government in Sanaa’.

“We are moving towards a general understanding that encompasses the expectations and visions of the parties,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement late Tuesday.

“The discussions have become more sensitive and delicate bringing us closer to a comprehensive agreement,” he said.

“We are now working on abolishing the current obstacles and are discussing practical details to an executive mechanism that makes sessions more sensitive and brings us closer to reaching an agreement,” he added.

On the other hand, a Western diplomat familiar with the talks said they had achieved considerable progress.

“We are in a stage where the parties have to make hard choices and compromises,” the diplomat told AFP, adding that he was “very optimistic” that a deal could be reached.

“We have not seen this momentum towards peace in the past one and a half years… a roadmap plan has been laid down… and it has to work,” he said.

Moreover, and according to the U.N. envoy, two sessions were held with the government’s delegation on Tuesday. The meetings focused on withdrawal mechanisms, connecting the political aspect with the security framework and setting an action plan for the next stage.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s statements contradict remarks he made a day earlier when he said a breakthrough would probably “take a long time.”

Yemen has been plagued by chaos since late 2014 when the Houthis – along with forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh – took over capital Sanaa’ and several other parts of the country.